Clothes wringer



J. W. BRANDT CLOTHES WRINGER Aug 9, @966 Filed Novv 23, 3.964

INVENTOR.

United States Patent Office 3,264,849 CLOTHES WRINGER James W. Brandt, Erie, Pa., assignor to Lovell Manufacturing Company, Erie, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Nov. 23, 1964. Ser. No. 413,101 3 Claims. (Cl. 68-256) This invention is intended to simplify the hinge structure for connecting the top frame of a clothes wringer to one end of its bottom frame.

In the drawing, FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a clothes wringer, FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective of one end of a clothes wringer top frame, FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the wringer head to which the top frame is to be hinged, FIG. 4 is a top plan view showing the manner of assembly of the hinge connection, FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view illustrating one step in the assembly, FIG. 6 is a section on line 66 of FIG. 4, and FIG. 7 is a fragmentary elevation of the structure applied to an instinctive type clothes wringer.

The wringer rolls 1, 2 are mounted in the usual manner in uprights 3, 4 of the bottom frame of the wringer. In the structure of FIGS. 1 to 6 inclusive, the upright 3 is fixed to a bracket 5 in turn fixed to a wringer head 6 containing the usual reversing gearing controlled by a shift lever 60. The wringer head thus becomes part of the bottom frame. In the structure of FIG. 7, the upright 3 is fixed to a bracket 5a pivoted to the wringer head 6 at upper and lower pivots 6a, 6b and having an arm 5b extending over the top of the wringer head. The bracket 5a is thus part of the bottom frame.

The mounting structure of FIGS. 1 to 6 is the conventional wringer construction in which the wringer bottom frame is rigidly fixed to the wringer head 6. The mounting structure of FIG. 7 is that used for instinctive wringers, an exemplar of which is described further in Patent 2,752,771, where the wringer is free to pivot relative to the wringer head under the instinctive reaction of the user in attempting to escape from the bite of the rolls and this pivotal movement is used to actuate a safety release as explained in greater detail in Patent 2,752,771.

In both the conventional and instinctive forms of the wringer, the top frame 7 has its outer end pivoted at 8 to a toggle link 9 associated with a toggle link 10 pivoted at 11 on a bracket 12 fixed to the ventical frame member 4. In the roll pressure applying position shown in FIG. 1, the common pivot 13 'of the toggle links 9 and 10 is outside (to the right of) a center line connecting pivots 8 and 11 so that the toggle is in an unstable position. The toggle is held in this position by a latch 14 having a hook 15 cooperating with the lower end of the toggle link '10. To release the toggle, the latch 14 is moved downward clear of the link It], for example by the mechanism shown in Patent 2,659,227. When the toggle links 9, 10 are in the pressure applying position, suitable spring means, for example a leaf spring (not shown) housed in the top bar 7, applies pressure to the rolls in the usual manner. At the opposite end, the top frame 7 is hinged to the bottom frame. In FIG. 7, the hinge connection is to the bracket 5a fixed to the wringer head 6. In FIGS. 1 to 6, the hinge connection is to the wringer head 6 which is in turn fixed to the upright 3 of the bottom frame. When the toggle links are released, the outer end of the top frame 7 pivots upward to release the pressure between the rolls. During this upward movement, the toggle links 9, 10 hold the top frame centered over the rolls. The parts so far described are or may be of common construction and they differ substantially in appearance in the particular constructions illustrated.

The hinge connection to the inner end of the top frame 7 comprises an integral depending tab 16 having a narrow neck portion 17 and outwardly extending hook portions 3,264,849 Patented August 9, 1966 at the lower end of the tab. The other part of the hinge connection is formed by a slot 19 which in the case of the FIGS. 1 to 6 construction is formed in a top wall 20 integral with the gear head 6 and in the case of the FIG. 7 construction is formed in the arm 5b of the bracket 5a.

When the top frame 7 is centered over the rolls, a tongue 21 projects through an opening 22 in the tab 16, the sides of the neck 17 engage shoulders =23 at opposite sides of the slot 19, and the hooks 18 project outwardly beneath the wall 20 (or the arm 5b, FIG. 7) which provides shoulders limiting upward movement of the top frame. Since the top frame 7 is held centered over the rolls by the toggle links 9, 10, the tab 16 cannot escape from the slot 19. The tab 21 cooperates with the slot 22 to prevent vertical movement of the tab L16 of the slot. A similar effect is obtained by the hooks 18. Wall 24 of the slot provides a shoulder which limits endwise movement of the tab 16 so that the tongue 21 is always confined to the opening 22 while the top frame is centered over the rolls.

The assembly of the hinge connection takes place before the connection of the outer end of the top frame 7 to the toggle links 9, 10. With the toggle links disconnected, the top frame 7 can be swung to the dotted line position shown in FIG. 4, bringing the tab 16 in line with elongated section 25 of the slot 19. In this position, after one of the hooks 18 enters the elongated portion 25 as shown in FIG. 5, the other hook can be swung down into position. After the tab 16 has fully entered the elongated section 25 of the slot 19, the top frame is swung to the full line position shown in FIG. 4 and the toggle links 9, 10 are connected. So long as the toggle links are connected, the top frame is restrained to wringing movement in a vertical direction and is held centered over the wringer rolls. This maintains the hinge connection to the inner end of the top frame. To disconnect the hinge connection, it is necessary first to disconnect at least one of the toggle links so the top frame can be swung to the dotted line position of FIG. 4.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a clothes wringer having a bottom frame carrying upper and lower rolls, a top frame centered over the rolls, toggle links connecting one end of the top frame to the bottom frame and holding said one end centered over the rolls, a depending tab on the other end of the top frame having an opening between the sides of the tab and hooks at the sides of the tab extending outwardly below the opening, said bottom frame having a slot receiving the tab and a tongue entering said opening and cooperating therewith to provide a hinge connection, said slot having shoulders engaging the tab and hooks to prevent disengagement of the tongue from said opening while the top frame is centered over the rolls, said slot having an enlarged portion clearing said hooks and tongue when said one end of the top frame is disconnected from the toggle links and said one end of the top frame is swung to one side of the rolls.

2. In a clothes wringer having a bottom frame carrying upper and lower rolls, a top frame centered over the rolls, a releasable connection between one end of the top frame and the bottom frame including means for maintaining said one end of the top frame centered over the rolls, a depending tab on the other end of the top frame having an opening between the sides of the tab and hooks at the sides of the tab extending outwardly below the opening, said bottom frame having a slot receiving the tab and a tongue entering said opening and cooperating therewith to provide a hinge connection, said slot having shoulders engaging the tab and hooks to prevent disengagement of the tongue from said opening while the top frame is centered over the rolls, said slot having an en- O larged portion clearing said hooks and tongue when said one end of the top frame is disconnected from the means for maintaining the top frame centered over the rolls and said one end of the top frame is swung to one side of the rolls.

3. In a clothes wringer having a bottom frame carrying upper and lower rolls, a top frame centered over the rolls, toggle links connecting one end of the top frame to the bottom frame and having pivot connections holding said one end centered over the rolls in all positions of the toggle links, a depending tab on the other end of the top frame having an opening between the sides of the tab and hooks at the sides of the tab extending outwardly below the opening, said bottom frame having a slot receiving the tab and a tongue entering said opening and cooperating therewith to provide a hinge connection and to hold said other end of the top frame centered over the rolls, said slot having shoulders engaging the tab and hooks to prevent disengagement of the tongue from said opening while the top frame is centered over the rolls, said slot having an enlarged portion clearing said hooks and tongue when at least one of the pivot connections of the toggle links is disconnected and said one end of the top frame is swung to one side of the rolls.

References Cited by the Examiner LOUIS O. MAASSEL, Primary Examiner.

IRVING BUNEVICH, Examiner. 

1. IN A CLOTHES WRINGER HAVING A BOTTOM FRAME CARRYING UPPER AND LOWER ROLLS, A TOP FRAME CENTERED OVER THE ROLLS, TOGGLE LINKS CONNECTING ONE END OF THE TOP FRAME TO THE BOTTOM FRAME AND HOLDING SAID ONE END CENTERED OVER THE ROLLS, A DEPENDING TAB ON THE OTHER END OF THE TOP FRAME HAVING AN OPENING BETWEEN THE SIDES OF THE TAB AND HOOKS AT THE SIDES OF THE TAB EXTENDING OUTWARDLY BELOW THE OPENING, SAID BOTTOM FRAME HAVING A SLOT RECEIVING THE TAB AND A TONGUE ENTERING SAID OPENING AND COOPERATING THEREWITH TO PROVIDE A HINGE CONNECTION, SAID SLOT HAVING SHOULDERS ENGAGING THE TAB AND HOOKS TO PREVENT DISENGAGEMENT OF THE TONGUE FROM SAID OPENING WHILE THE TOP FRAME IS CENTERED OVER THE ROLLS, SAID SLOT HAVING AN ENLARGED PORTION CLEARING SAID HOOKS AND TONGUE WHEN SAID ONE END OF THE TOP FRAME IS DISCONNECTED FROM THE TOGGLE LINKS AND SAID ONE END OF THE TOP FRAME IS SWUNG TO ONE SIDE OF THE ROLLS. 